“that thing” refers to a firearm, to protect yourself with when out on the streets roaming.

The hook itself is sampled from one of Barry White’s hits, “Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=v4_M5PcJQmU#t=89s

In 1986 the distribution of crack exploded in the USA, it was available everywhere and was an important drug on the market. Tragedy Khadafi compares his lyrics to the crack here. As his lyrics are hotter than crack was while heavily sought after.

“I’m raw like Kane” refers to uncut drugs, which TK’s lyrics are because they’re raw and crack. The line is also a pun on Big Daddy Kane’s debut single “Raw”.

This is a pun on Young Jeezy’s affection with motivating thugs. We all know his trapping without a doubt motivates thugs, but Future also plays on two of Jeezy’s albums here, Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 and Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz Ambition.

EPMD’s “You Gots to Chill” single and Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill album are both classic mid-to-late 80’s hip-hop records and are considered landmarks in the rap genre. Both also bang something relatively new to the table — Licensed to Ill is regarded as one of the best rock-rap albums, while “You Gots to Chill” mixed doo-wop funk and rap very well, later heavily influencing the G-funk genre.

The infamous Sugar Hill Gang is notorious for having released the first major rap song, “Rapper’s Delight”, in the year 1979. This is also the year Sylvia Robinson founded her Sugar Hill Records label, which signed the Sugar Hill Gang. Other acts on the label include Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Treacherous Three, Funky 4 + 1, and more.

Of course there’s no way to make guitarist, Tom Morello, or something alike out of “Hear the drummer get wicked”. So here DJ Z-Trip scratched in some Chuck D vocals from the Public Enemy hit “Bring the Noise”, with “the noise” referring to the music coming from the guitar.

These Chuck D lyrics actually have been used before. They’re the opening lines in the Public Enemy song “Welcome to the Terrordome”, which is a response to ex-group member Professor Griff stating that “Jews are responsible for the majority of wickedness in the world.”

Papoose lays down a nice pun by saying that the money will call him, they want Papoose to collect them. He cements this pun by implying he can not talk to someone on the phone, because he’s already talking with money on the phone… kinda non-realistic, but it gets the points across.

Sadly, “driving while in love” is four words, Pap. Not three…

Gaye is a lucky man, as he in fact has seen his dream, while millions of others won’t ever. His, and everybody else’s “dream” is their love of their lives, the person that can bring them the most happiness.

The first two questions Gaye asks are physical things one can do with their “dream”, you can both see and feel them. While the third is more a mental question. Your world stands still when you’ve found your biggest desire, time will pass slow and you’ll cherish all the moments you’ll have with your one true love.